06 September 2012

Last Submariner Wants U-boats Revived

06 September
2012

Four
Japanese submarines were purchased by Thailand prior to World War II. The four
submarines were: H.T.M.S. MATCHANU, H.T.M.S. WIRUN, H.T.M.S. SINSAMUT, and
H.T.M.S. PHLAI-CHUMPHON. The submarines were designed and built at the
Mitsubishi Naval Dockyards. All four submarines were delivered to Thailand on
19 July, 1938. The four submarines were active until their decommissioning in
1951. (all photos : thaigunship)

The last
surviving Thai submariner wishes the Royal Thai Navy would start using
submarines again, saying they are essential for the defence of the country.

Lt Veera
Phetsuwan, 91, was speaking at the Royal Thai Navy Institute in Bangkok
yesterday on Thai Submarine Day.

''I am very
proud to have worked in a submarine. I hope the navy will start using
submarines again because they are strategically important. They are secret
weapons and most of our neighbouring countries have them,'' he said.

Another
source of pride for Lt Veera is that he is the only Thai naval officer sent to
train in the US in the USS Sabalo, a submarine with 1,200-tonne displacement.
The retiree said although the seas around Thai are shallow, the country should
have small submarines with displacements of 400-500 tonnes.

Thailand
used to have four submarines, supplied by Japan.

Lt Veera was
a sailor on one of these, the HTMS Matchanu, which had a 400-tonne
displacement.

The three
other submarines were HTMS Wirun, HTMS Sinsamut, and HTMS Plai Chumphol.

Japan
completed HTMS Matchanu and another submarine for Thailand on Sept 4, 1937, and
so Thai Submarine Day is observed on Sept 4.

The four
submarines reached Thailand in 1938. They were active during troubles in
Indochina and World War II, before being decommissioned in 1951 due to a lack
of spare parts as Japan was prohibited from producing any warfare equipment
after its wartime defeat.

Lt Veera
went to look at the model of HTMS Matchanu at the Royal Thai Navy Institute
yesterday.

As the
Defence Ministry has shelved its submarine procurement plan, the navy is only
able to prepare its personnel for potential future submarine operations.

Rear Admiral
Suriya Pornsuriya, commander of the ''Submarine Fleet'', said the navy is
preparing to have submarines, pending submarine procurement, by building a 500
million baht Submarine Tactical Control Centre in the seafront Sattahip
district of Chon Buri.

The facility
will include a 190 million baht submarine simulator from Germany that will be
used for personnel training.

Rear Adm
Suriya said the situation in the South China Sea could become tense and if a
battle takes place there the government will realise the necessity of
possessing submarines.